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When the Chat Goes Silent “The bull is back, so why are all the Telegram groups dead?” asked user CheesyMac in the Opensky community. “Because everyone’s either in cash or short,” replied Niner. For veterans like Niner, the current run should have been a goldmine. Yet, like many, he admits: “I haven’t made a dime.” Johhny, a full-time trader, echoes the sentiment: “Ever since Trump launched TRUMP, I’ve been bleeding.” They are not outliers. Wagmi Capital partner Mark estimates “90 % of retail...
Why Can’t Buybacks Save DeFi?
The 2025 DeFi Buyback Wave: Leading DeFi protocols spent approximately $800 million on buybacks and dividends in 2025—a 400% increase from early 2024—aiming to boost confidence by emulating public company strategies. Key Project Case Studies:Aave: Conducts weekly buybacks of ~$1 million in AAVE tokens, yet reported negative book profits after the pilot phase.MakerDAO: Uses DAI surplus via its Smart Burn engine to repurchase MKR, but the token price remains at only one-third of its all-time hi...
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Cracks in the Decentralized-AI Bloc: Why Ocean Protocol Walked Away from the ASI Alliance
One-Year Marriage, One-Day Divorce On 9 October 2025 the Ocean Protocol Foundation abruptly resigned from the Artificial Super-intelligence (ASI) Alliance, dissolving the token-merge pact it had signed barely eighteen months earlier with Fetch.ai, SingularityNET and, later, CUDOS. The departure is more than a personnel change: it unwinds roughly 81 % of OCEAN’s circulating supply that had already been converted into FET (now rebranded ASI) and forces the remaining bloc to re-imagine what “dec...
Retail Traders in the 2025 Bull: Hearing the Roar, Never Tasting the Steak
When the Chat Goes Silent “The bull is back, so why are all the Telegram groups dead?” asked user CheesyMac in the Opensky community. “Because everyone’s either in cash or short,” replied Niner. For veterans like Niner, the current run should have been a goldmine. Yet, like many, he admits: “I haven’t made a dime.” Johhny, a full-time trader, echoes the sentiment: “Ever since Trump launched TRUMP, I’ve been bleeding.” They are not outliers. Wagmi Capital partner Mark estimates “90 % of retail...
Why Can’t Buybacks Save DeFi?
The 2025 DeFi Buyback Wave: Leading DeFi protocols spent approximately $800 million on buybacks and dividends in 2025—a 400% increase from early 2024—aiming to boost confidence by emulating public company strategies. Key Project Case Studies:Aave: Conducts weekly buybacks of ~$1 million in AAVE tokens, yet reported negative book profits after the pilot phase.MakerDAO: Uses DAI surplus via its Smart Burn engine to repurchase MKR, but the token price remains at only one-third of its all-time hi...
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Are NFTs Back from the Dead? A Surprise Market Rally
Support Chloess
Are NFTs Back from the Dead? A Surprise Market Rally
The long-dormant NFT sector is showing unexpected signs of revival.
According to CoinGecko, the total NFT market cap has rebounded above $6 billion, currently standing at $6.417 billion—a 23.2% surge in 24 hours. Trading volume growth is even more dramatic, with $40 million traded in the past day, marking a 318.3% increase.
Notable performers include CryptoPunks, Moonbirds, and Pudgy Penguins:
CryptoPunks: A whale spent millions scooping up 45 Punks (plus Chromie Squiggles), with 76 trades in just 5 hours—the largest buying spree since 2021. Floor price: 47.5 ETH (+15.9%).
Moonbirds: OpenSea briefly changed its X profile picture to a Moonbirds NFT, sparking hype. Floor price: 1.94 ETH (+33.3%).
Pudgy Penguins: Featured in Season 2 of the TV show Poker Face, drawing mainstream attention. Floor price: 16.4 ETH (+13.8%).
Other projects like BAYC (+13.2%), Azuki (+26.8%), and Bitcoin-based Taproot Wizards (+30.3%) also rallied. Even NFT-related tokens joined the party, with BLUR skyrocketing 27.4% to $0.1176 (ranked #3 on OKX’s gainers list).
While NFT hype cycles have repeatedly fizzled out since the 2021 peak, leaving retail traders numb to "buy the dip" calls, recent developments hint at a potential shift:
On July 16, BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes tweeted: "ETH Season is here—DeFi and NFTs will resurge." Though initially met with jokes, the market now seems to agree.
FreeLunchCapital (founder of BitmapPunks) revealed institutions have been quietly accumulating NFTs via OTC deals: "If they can bring eyeballs and growth to the space, I’d consider selling."
Veteran NFT traders like 0xCygaar are declaring: "NFT Season is back."
Two key drivers explain the rebound:
ETH’s Momentum: As Ethereum’s price surges, capital flows into correlated assets. With most top NFTs native to Ethereum, they’ve become a proxy for ETH exposure. Trading volume confirms this—liquidity is concentrated in Ethereum’s blue-chip projects.
Market Reset: After a prolonged downturn, "weak hands" have exited, leaving strategic buyers to accumulate undervalued assets. NFTs’ illiquidity (vs. tokens) makes them easier targets for coordinated pumps.
Despite the euphoria, challenges remain:
Shattered Consensus: Years of decline have eroded trust in NFTs. Retail FOMO may not return overnight.
Institutional Role: While whales and funds are buying, their ability to onboard mainstream users is unproven.
Is this the start of a new NFT bull run—or just another fleeting pump? The market’s next moves will tell.
Data as of 2025/07/21. ETH price: $3,573 (used for conversions).
The long-dormant NFT sector is showing unexpected signs of revival.
According to CoinGecko, the total NFT market cap has rebounded above $6 billion, currently standing at $6.417 billion—a 23.2% surge in 24 hours. Trading volume growth is even more dramatic, with $40 million traded in the past day, marking a 318.3% increase.
Notable performers include CryptoPunks, Moonbirds, and Pudgy Penguins:
CryptoPunks: A whale spent millions scooping up 45 Punks (plus Chromie Squiggles), with 76 trades in just 5 hours—the largest buying spree since 2021. Floor price: 47.5 ETH (+15.9%).
Moonbirds: OpenSea briefly changed its X profile picture to a Moonbirds NFT, sparking hype. Floor price: 1.94 ETH (+33.3%).
Pudgy Penguins: Featured in Season 2 of the TV show Poker Face, drawing mainstream attention. Floor price: 16.4 ETH (+13.8%).
Other projects like BAYC (+13.2%), Azuki (+26.8%), and Bitcoin-based Taproot Wizards (+30.3%) also rallied. Even NFT-related tokens joined the party, with BLUR skyrocketing 27.4% to $0.1176 (ranked #3 on OKX’s gainers list).
While NFT hype cycles have repeatedly fizzled out since the 2021 peak, leaving retail traders numb to "buy the dip" calls, recent developments hint at a potential shift:
On July 16, BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes tweeted: "ETH Season is here—DeFi and NFTs will resurge." Though initially met with jokes, the market now seems to agree.
FreeLunchCapital (founder of BitmapPunks) revealed institutions have been quietly accumulating NFTs via OTC deals: "If they can bring eyeballs and growth to the space, I’d consider selling."
Veteran NFT traders like 0xCygaar are declaring: "NFT Season is back."
Two key drivers explain the rebound:
ETH’s Momentum: As Ethereum’s price surges, capital flows into correlated assets. With most top NFTs native to Ethereum, they’ve become a proxy for ETH exposure. Trading volume confirms this—liquidity is concentrated in Ethereum’s blue-chip projects.
Market Reset: After a prolonged downturn, "weak hands" have exited, leaving strategic buyers to accumulate undervalued assets. NFTs’ illiquidity (vs. tokens) makes them easier targets for coordinated pumps.
Despite the euphoria, challenges remain:
Shattered Consensus: Years of decline have eroded trust in NFTs. Retail FOMO may not return overnight.
Institutional Role: While whales and funds are buying, their ability to onboard mainstream users is unproven.
Is this the start of a new NFT bull run—or just another fleeting pump? The market’s next moves will tell.
Data as of 2025/07/21. ETH price: $3,573 (used for conversions).
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